Linzer Torte Jam [Dark Chocolate & Raspberry with Vanilla]

**LIMITED TIME/SEASONAL FLAVOR**

This jam is based on one of my Paternal Grandmother’s recipes…

She makes the most amazing Raspberry Tart, which our family calls a Linzer Tart, and it is… except that it really isn’t.  Why?  Cause ours has both chocolate and vanilla in it; and a standard Linzer Tart is Raspberry and Raspberry Jam with a flaky crust… well, since a Linzer Tart in OUR family has chocolate and vanilla, in my jam, it’s the same way!!

I recently made this jam as a special gift for a Men’s Knitting Retreat that I attended in Seattle, WA.  My intent was just to share this jam with them, but the response to it was overwhelming, and quite a few people wanted to be able to order more… then special requests and custom orders starting coming in asking for this jam, so I figured I would at least make it a Limited Edition Special/Holiday release, so here it is — available for a limited time, until the jars run out!!

After successfully recreating Black Forest, Apple Pie and Carrot Cake into jams, I figured why not tackle my favorite from Grandma Truella? The jams featuring chocolate have all been rather popular, so why not?  Plus… once again, I was plagued with a taste memory that I really wanted to try and recreate.

The vast majority of my grandparent experiences growing up revolve around my maternal grandparents, Della Mae and Henry.  Della Mae was the one who taught me how to can, sew, cook, knit & crochet, her recipes are the ones that I turn to more often than not, but there was also my paternal Grandparents, Truella and Leroy.  My father, Parker, was a Pastry Chef by trade, and while he was only in my life for my first 8 years, I do have quite vivid memories of him, some of them time that I spent with him in the kitchen, standing on a stool at the counter next to him while he worked on something.  I cherish those few memories of him, and the stories I’ve been able to gather over the years about and from that side of the family are few, but precious.

It didn’t take that long this time around to develop a jam that worked, and worked well!!  My partner Paul LOVES this jam; there is a beautiful balance between the raspberry and the chocolate — just the right about of tart; just the right amount of sweet, with a full and bold burst of raspberry flavor… this jam ROCKS!!

So here it is… for a limited time.  I made a triple batch; once they’re gone, they’re gone… here, just for the holidays… just for you!!